Abu Dhabi / Manama: Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud computing division of Amazon, has confirmed that drones struck three of its facilities in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain following US and Israeli strikes against Iran over the weekend.
Initially, AWS stated that ‘objects’ had hit a data centre in the UAE, causing sparks and a fire. The company also reported that it was investigating power and connectivity disruptions at a facility in Bahrain. AWS confirmed that drone strikes were responsible for the outages.
According to the company, two facilities in the UAE were directly hit. In Bahrain, a drone strike in proximity to one of its facilities caused physical impacts to infrastructure. AWS said that the drones led to structural damage and disrupted power delivery systems. In some cases, fire suppression systems were activated, resulting in additional water damage.
Recovery takes time
The company stated that it is working swiftly to restore services in the affected areas but warned that recovery could take time due to the extent and nature of the physical damage involved. AWS also advised customers using its regional services to back up their data and potentially migrate workloads to alternative AWS facilities elsewhere in the world as a precautionary measure.
The incidents underscore the vulnerability of critical technology infrastructure, such as data centres, during periods of military conflict. AWS cautioned that the ongoing escalation means the broader operating environment across the Middle East remains unpredictable.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump has indicated that US strikes on Iran could continue for four to five weeks and may extend even longer. Iran has been launching waves of missiles and drones targeting US bases and allied countries across the region, including the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.
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